"Boss Li, I thought you weren't coming." The man carrying the bag said with a smile.
“I also thought you would save the caladiums, find a place to dry them, and then sell them at the foot of the mountain.” After parking the tractor, Li Long got out of the car and said, “The caladium season is about to end. It’s over.”
“Well, it’s only been the past two days,” the man said, “the caladiums have bloomed in some places.”
Li Long didn’t expect the caladiums to bloom so quickly. There are flowers. It seems that this caladium season is really coming to an end.
But no matter how you calculate it, he is good enough.
The man weighed the Fritillaria, and it was seventeen and a half kilograms. Li Long calculated the weight at eighteen kilograms, and then gave him fifty-four yuan. The man happily took the money and left. Li Long knew that this should be the last time this person came to sell caladium at his place this year. The next time he dug caladium, he would most likely go directly to the county.
Li Long took the basin and washed the caladiums at the spring, took a big broom to sweep the ashes on the wooden floor, and dried the caladiums here.
There were not many things left in the cabin, and Li Long had no plans to add more. You can exchange as much as you can. If you don't have any more, just give the money directly. The remaining rice and noodles are kept here. They will definitely come to the mountains later, so just keep them in reserve.
Not wanting to cook at noon, Li Long set up the stove in the wooden house and prepared to bake the buns he had brought for a meal.
When the fire started, two people came over to sell Fritillaria. They didn’t bring much Fritillaria, they were all about seven or eight kilograms. Li Long guessed that they came here for an emergency, and there should be some caladiums drying in the sun elsewhere.
After weighing the fritillaries and paying for them, Li Long washed and dried them again. The fire was already on here. He put two buns to bake under the hearth, and a pot was set on top to boil water.
When the buns were ready, Li Long took an enamel plate, put the buns in, and baked two more. He sat on the threshold and began to eat.
It has a unique flavor.
In the distance, two people walked out of the woods to the south. Li Long looked familiar.
Li Zhengtang and Li Zhengting.
The two brothers had not seen each other for a few days. Li Long originally thought that they would hoard some of the caladiums, find a suitable place to dry them in the mountains, and then go to the buying station to sell them when the caladium season is over.
After all, the price given by the purchasing station is much higher.
When the two people came over, each of them was carrying a bag on his back. It seemed that he had gained a lot.
The two people slowly walked to the wooden house. Li Long raised the buns in his hand and asked:
"Have you eaten yet?"
"Eat, eat." Li Zhengtang said with a smile:
"Boss Li, we came here yesterday and didn't see you."
"I was in Xiaobaiyanggou in the east , someone from my team over there loaded it into the car." Li Long explained, "What's the matter, look at you like this. Are you planning to go out?"
"Out." Li Zhengtang nodded and said:
"The fritillaries have almost been dug near the Diwozi where we live, and some have already bloomed. Okay, we plan to go back now. I won’t care about the remaining three melons and two dates.”
"Yes, it's time to go out. It's not been easy for you for more than a month." Li Long stood up and asked:
"Should we leave now or rest here?"
"Have a rest. "Hold on, ask Boss Li for a bowl of water. We have two bags of Fritillaria here. If Boss Li doesn't mind, I'll sell them to you."
Li Long was a little surprised, he thought this was the case. Two people would carry the fritillary to the county. After all, there are lessons learned from past mistakes.
"Okay." Since they want to sell it, he naturally wants to accept it.
"We dried some of them and considered them semi-dry." Li Zhengting explained from the side, and Li Zhengtang pulled him.
Li Long opened their bags, reached inside, grabbed a handful and took them out to look at.
The caladiums have not been washed, but there are indeed some semi-dried ones and a lot of fresh ones.
"Yes, I'll give you six yuan for one kilogram." Li Long said, "It's not easy."
He looked at the other bag of Fritillaria, they were all about the same.
Going to get a scale to weigh it, Li Long found that the two bags of caladium weighed more than 47 kilograms. Calculated at 48 kilograms, the total cost was 288 yuan. The two of them split it evenly, one hundred and forty-four yuan each.
Li Long poured the fritillaries out of the bag into a large basin, stirred them with his hands, and found that the quality was the same. It seems that these two brothers have really changed.
Li Long put the caladium basin aside and boiled the water in the room. He poured hot tea for two people in two enamel basins, and gave another person a baked meat bun.
"Eat, it will take a long time to walk out of the mountains, it will be better to have more hot food in your stomach."
The two of them stopped being polite, took the buns and started eating.
Ten minutes later, Li Zhengtang and Li Zhengting walked towards Beishan. Now each of them is carrying a small bag, which contains their own daily necessities, and even the bedding has been thrown into the mountains.
Li Long didn't ask specifically how they planned to spend tonight.
After lunch, Li Long simply washed these caladiums. He estimated that these 48 kilograms of caladiums could produce a lot of dried caladiums.
In the afternoon, people came one after another to sell caladiums. Most of them, like the two cousins of Li Zheng, left the mountain and returned home. Some people sold caladiums and took the money in exchange for supplies. Entering the mountains again. Li Long wondered if they were going to dig Codonopsis pilosula after digging fritillaries?
When the sun was about to set, Li Long saw Wu Benzhong.
This acquaintance hurried towards the cabin in a hurry, as if someone was chasing him.
"Boss Li, fortunately you are here!" Wu Benzhong said breathlessly, "I was scared to death!"
"What's wrong?" Li Long stood up and asked.
"Bear, what the hell, I met a bear when I was digging caladiums! Brown bear!"
"How old is it?" As soon as he heard that there was a bear, Li Long came over immediately Interested, he stood up with a gun and asked:
"Which ditch? Which location?"
Although he did not know this area well, as long as Wu Benzhong pointed out the approximate location, Li Long felt that he could still find it.
At this time, it stands to reason that the brown bear should be active in the mountains. How could it come to the outer mountains?
"Boss Li, do you know that there is a hot spring in the ditch?" Wu Benzhong calmed down and said:
"It is just southeast of the hot spring ditch. Wild boars often appear in that ditch..."< br>
He gestured with the distance as he spoke, and Li Long quickly determined that this was not the same ditch where he had found the two-headed deer before.
His heart moved and he asked again:
"Old Wu, how tall is that brown bear?"
"About as tall as me?" Wu Benzhong thought for a while and said, "But it's quite fierce. With one claw, it can kill a pine tree as thick as an arm." The tree was interrupted! I looked scared and ran away in a hurry. It was still chasing me at first, but then it stopped chasing for some reason, otherwise I didn’t think I could run away!”
Li Long poured a bowl of water for Wu Benzhong and asked:
"Then have you eaten?"
"You just ate something for lunch. After running around like this, you almost consumed it."
"Then are you going into the forest yet?"< br>
“If you don’t get in, you won’t get in.” Wu Benzhong shook his head, “I’m here to make money, but I don’t want to risk my life here.”
Li Long gave him a cool Baozi said:
"Take a bite? Or wait and let me bake it for you?"
"Let's bake it." Wu Benzhong did not take the bun and said with a smile, "It's not easy to eat hot food here, or... It’s good to bake it.”
Li Long took two buns and put them under the stove to bake them. Wu Benzhong also asked Li Long to weigh the fritillaries he brought over.
Most of these caladiums are fresh, and a small part are a little dry. Li Long weighed them and found that they were more than 14 kilograms and less than 15 kilograms, so he calculated them at five yuan.
Wu Benzhong did not expect that Li Long would take the initiative to increase the price for him. It was quite emotional to hold seventy-five yuan.
"Are you going out of the mountain at night, or are you staying in my shed overnight?" The sun was about to set, and Li Long knew that if Wu Benzhong was leaving, it might be dark after leaving the mountain. It was still quite a distance from Qingshui River. If he really encountered a wolf on the way, he probably wouldn't be able to do it with his small body. "If you don't mind, then I will stay in your shed for one night." Wu Benzhong was not polite. He would not joke with his own life in this matter of life and death.
"Okay, you can lay it yourself. If there is grass, you can light a fire beside it. Just don't burn my shed." Li Long pointed to Liu Shanmin in the shed. The place where I live said:
"I'm going to wash the Fritillaria."
"Okay. How about you cook dinner tonight? I'll pick up some mushrooms after I finish. How about we fry some mushrooms? ?" Wu Benzhong took the initiative to take the job.
"Okay. There are also wild celery here, let's stir-fry them together later." Li Long had eaten most of the steamed buns he brought over. He didn't plan to eat them again at night, and was going to make some pancakes tonight.
Actually, if he had enough time, Li Long would still like to be able to steam steamed buns. He still doesn’t like eating noodles.
But now it’s obvious that he doesn’t have to choose. As long as he can eat it, it doesn’t matter. So particular.
Wu Benzhong quickly spread the simple bedding he brought on the grass of the shed, then got some chopped firewood nearby and lit a fire. Seeing Li Long lighting up the stove outside and preparing to bake pancakes, he said hello and went to pick mushrooms nearby.
Li Long and the noodles were placed there and covered with a cloth, so he went to the water's edge to get some wild celery. This thing still needs to be fried with meat, and there is a lot of oil, and you need to be skillful. You can't fry it for a long time, otherwise it will be a bit like Mao Qin fried into ropes.
After Li Long finished it, Wu Benzhong also returned with a large bag of straw mushrooms in his clothes. While washing the straw mushrooms, he said with emotion to Li Long:
"If our hometown had such good resources, we wouldn't have come out. We can't finish all the food, and the wood in the mountains can't be eaten." There are so many things that can be sold for money..."
Li Long smiled and did not answer his words. There are advantages and disadvantages everywhere. Thirty years later, this area in northern Xinjiang was still a bitter and cold place in the Gobi Desert in the eyes of many people in the mainland. Forty years later, as more people came to travel, this misunderstanding was slowly solved.
Of course, this is also related to the publicity of some departments.
Both of them moved quickly, and the meal was ready in no time. Wu Benzhong went to get the bench, and the two of them ate accordingly, chatting while eating. The sun has gone down, and the sunset has become red and faded.
"Tomorrow is a good day. I will leave as soon as dawn." Wu Benzhong said while eating:
"Go to the county and buy a ticket to Wucheng. We will go to Wucheng today. If we can buy it today, we can go back to our hometown. If you have a vote, I’ll leave immediately.”
“You are so eager to return home.”
“Oh, I’ve been away for a long time and I feel homesick. In fact, after I went back for a few days, I still wanted to come out. It’s not easy to live here in my hometown...”
Two people After eating and cleaning up, Li Long went to the room and gave Wu Benzhong a stick, and then said to him:
"Every time you set up your fire, chop less wood. It's best not to let it go out. If there is a fire, if wolves come over at night, they won't dare to look for you. Be alert when you sleep, and call me if anything happens. By the way, you Using the handles in the shed to block the door will also work."
Wu Benzhong followed his good deeds and quickly blocked the door of the shed with handles.
It’s quite beautiful.
Li Long had already put away the fritillaries. He locked the door of the small room, poured an enamel plate of water for Wu Benzhong and handed it in, and then went into the wooden house to sleep.
When Li Long got up the next day, the sky was already bright. When he went out to put out the water, he saw that no one was in the shed and the enamel basin was placed by the door. He thought that Wu Benzhong left at dawn.
No matter if you leave, after planting this season, it’s time to go back.
Li Long didn't feel reluctant to leave. It was normal for people to come and go.
He went to the toilet at the back to put water. Li Long came back and set up the stove to boil water. The stove outside also started to burn. He planned to visit the place Wu Benzhong mentioned today. The brown bear is not big, it must be a minor. At that time, maybe because he was similar in stature to Wu Benzhong and was attracted by other things, I didn't pursue him.
But now that he has arrived at the outer mountain, Li Long guesses that this guy will not run back to the inner mountain in a short time. Maybe he ran away from the adult bear secretly or lost it.
If I can defeat this bear, then the first half of this year will really be a success.
After roasting and eating the remaining two buns in the morning, Li Long packed up his gun, filled it with bullets, and put his shoulder bag on his back.
I took out the knife I usually carried and checked it. I wiped the blade with my thumb and found it was very sharp, so I inserted it again.
After getting ready, Li Long locked the door and walked into the mountains.
Now it is no longer important whether or how many caladiums we receive. The caladium season has come to an end, and many people may be planning to bring the caladium to the county or even their hometown. After all, this is considered a very good medicinal material. Cough will be a common disease even in the next forty years, and it is very troublesome. There is this thing, although it is not as famous and effective as Sichuan clam, but it is still wild and effective.
The temperature has risen, but there is still dew on the grass. Li Long tries to walk to a place with less grass to avoid getting his pants soaked before entering the forest.
Although it was not long before dawn, the original owners in the forest had already completed their initial foraging activities and were ready to return to their nests. Li Long could hear the cries of grouse, pheasants and other birds in the pine forest. It's no wonder that the early bird catches the worm.
I got up really early.
To Hot Spring Valley, Li Long passed through here and went to the place where he found the two-headed deer.
There is a faint deer call in the distance, and the sound is extremely long, but I don’t know where it is because it echoes in the valley.
When Li Long entered the valley, he already had the gun in his hand. If you really need to hit something, you can still deal with it in time with the gun in your hand.
In the middle of the valley, there were a lot of wild animal droppings and hoof prints, which looked like they had been stepped on recently. The grass grows luxuriantly here, but there are not many caladiums. There are few people here, so wild animals prefer it.
Of course, the main reason is that there are some wild fruit trees growing in the valley from time to time, and there are also many plants such as wild strawberries in the turf on the ground. Only when there is something to eat can the beasts come over.
Li Long walked forward along the winding path in the middle of the mountain, while looking around vigilantly. The trail was still far away from the pine forest, so even if a bear did come out, he would be able to deal with it in time.
Soon, Li Long walked to the middle of the valley. This place was relatively humid. It could be seen that there was water seeping into the mountains, but it was not much and it was not enough to form a stream. It just wetted the grassland.
There were huge paw prints on the path. Li Long guessed that this thing belonged to a bear, right?
He moved his index finger and turned on the gun's safety.
Pull the trigger to load the bullet. You cannot be careless at this time.
Because of the moist and fertile land in front, the grass grew taller. The narrow path that was still vaguely visible was covered by grass, and Li Long couldn't even see the end.
There is enough fertile water and soil, and it is not within the range of herdsmen. The grass here grows unscrupulously and is crazy.
It was not like this the last time I came here.
Some of these grasses are even blooming with bright flowers more than one meter above the ground, which is very strange.
Li Long hesitated for a moment and did not want to move forward. It's hard to say what's in the grass, it's just an ordinary wild thing. If there are snakes in it, you really have to be careful. He didn't want to have his calf amputated like Qiu Chunlei.
Then there is no need to live.
Just when Li Long hesitated, a sound came from the grass in front. Li Long took a few steps back, leaving enough time to react. He guessed that it might be one or several wild boars.
After all, in this mountain forest, among the beasts of this weight class, this thing should be the most numerous.
After all, he is so fertile. Ordinary wild beasts, whether they are bears, wolves, deers or lynxes, usually have one or two at most.
This guy can give birth to five, six, seven or eight, or even more than nine, in one litter.
In the video I saw in my last life, I can see a dozen large wild boars leading a group of more than ten, twenty or even thirty small wild boars in this life's hunting.
With this growth rate, it is no wonder that it has become the first to be eliminated from the ranks of the "three species" of wild animals.
If so, Li Long thought about knocking down one end first, as he couldn't run away in vain.
The grass branches shook more and more violently. Li Long took a few steps back. He was worried that if there were too many things rushing out and the buffer was not enough, he would be trapped in it, so he had to leave enough space.
It is more than thirty meters from here to the grass. With my current shooting skills, it is enough to hit.
Finally, the grass on the outermost edge moved, and a small animal rushed out from it. It was very panicked, its steps were chaotic, its body was crooked, and there was blood.
This is a wounded deer.
Li Long's hand was already on the trigger, hesitating whether to shoot.
Then, a huge figure jumped out from behind the deer. (End of this chapter)